Under sweltering and humid conditions, an informal network of volunteers is helping keep the CJP protest organised and running. From a distance, the demonstration appears to be a sea of anger, filled with loud chants and slogans. But up close, it reveals another side of the movement—a strong sense of care and solidarity, with strangers coming together to provide shade, water, fresh air and support.
At the heart of the gathering, volunteers tirelessly wave bamboo fans over the seated protesters. Their arms move continuously, pushing desperately needed air towards those whose voices have grown hoarse after hours of raising slogans.
“This is our resilience,” said Aman Diwakar, continuing to work his wrist without pause as he fanned the crowd.
Near the main stage, a 40-year-old woman held a single black umbrella above three strangers sitting beside her. Every few minutes, they passed the heavy handle among themselves, sharing the responsibility of providing shade. Nearby, four young men stood under the scorching sun, their bare arms stretched upwards as they held the four corners of a canvas tent. The makeshift canopy offered much-needed shade to dozens of elderly protesters who had travelled from different parts of the country to support the movement.
Among the seated protesters was 39-year-old Pooja, a homemaker from Rohini, who continued fanning a group of young students despite being drenched in sweat. “I have to be here for my children,” she said. Her eldest child is in Class 10 and dreams of becoming a doctor. For Pooja, being part of the protest is a way of standing up for her children's future. She said she wanted to be able to tell her child years later that his mother had fought for his future. Her husband, she added, joins her every evening after completing his office hours.
Although official volunteer registration forms are available near the entrance, many people at the protest have simply stepped forward after noticing something that needed to be done. Twenty-year-old Arhaan, wearing disposable rubber gloves and carrying a heavy black polythene bag, moves through the crowd collecting discarded plastic bottles and food plates. Working alongside a friend, he helps keep the protest site clean. “No one assigned us this job,” he said, explaining that he saw others cleaning the area, bought some garbage bags and decided to help.
The younger generation has also displayed remarkable determination. A 16-year-old psychology student reportedly travelled to the protest site despite strong opposition from her parents and has been staying at the venue for several days.
Across the protest grounds, similar scenes of spontaneous solidarity can be seen. At the outer perimeter, a medical student from Romania welcomes arriving attendees by spraying hand sanitiser on their hands. Further ahead, near the metal detectors where the official police presence becomes thinner, a human chain of students holds hands and guides the growing crowd, helping to prevent overcrowding and the risk of a stampede.
Water has also become an important part of the volunteers' efforts. Dipesh, a 28-year-old MBA student who has been at the protest site for 15 days, said people from different places have been sending packaged drinking water, which volunteers distribute among those sitting in the heat. He said the growing size of the crowd, particularly after the Parliament march, has given him the motivation to return every morning. From the very beginning, he said, he knew that he wanted to support the movement.
From fanning protesters and sharing umbrellas to collecting waste, distributing water and managing crowds, these small acts of service have created an informal support system at the CJP protest. What appears from afar to be a demonstration driven by anger and confrontation is, at ground level, also a story of ordinary people coming together to care for one another and keep the movement going.
